Top US diplomat says closing embassy in Cuba 'under review'

The Trump administration is considering closing down the recently reopened US Embassy in Havana following a string of unexplained incidents harming the health of American diplomats in Cuba, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday.

Tillerson's comments were the strongest indication to date that the United States might mount a major diplomatic response, potentially jeopardising the historic restart of relations between the US and Cuba. The two former foes reopened embassies in Washington and Havana in 2015 after a half-century of estrangement.

"We have it under evaluation," Tillerson said of a possible embassy closure. "It's a very serious issue with respect to the harm that certain individuals have suffered. We've brought some of those people home. It's under review."